Follow Me
by Blitz
Summary: This is set 6 years after the New X-Men in Addie Logan's story "The More Things Change". It's a TCP about two best friends at the mall and a twist of fate.


followme.htm Sun streamed in through the windshield of the car, hitting Tonya directly in the eyes. She winced and covered her face with her hands. 

"You wanna pass me the sunglasses?" 

"Get them yourself, Tonnie!" 

"Tonya's fine," she said bitterly, waving her hand at the sunglasses. They rose into the air and whacked Devon in the head with a sickening "_Thwack_!" "OOps" she said shrilly and innocently. "My mistake! Awwwww ... Are you alright, sweetie-pie?" she cooed and sroked his hair where she had hit him. 

He ducked out of the way. "Quit it! I'm tryin' ta drive. That was no accident and you know it ... Bitch," he smirked quietly as an afterthought. 

"Punk." 

"I don't hafta give you a ride, you know. I could just dump you off right here if I wanted." 

"But you don't," Tonya chirped, slipping on her sunglasses to protrect herself from the harsh sunlight. The tips were perkily upturned in a sort of cat-eye fashion and had lime green rims. She ran her fingers through her dark hair. "Because then I would hafta hurt you." 

"You wouldn't." 

"I would." 

"You know, you're the reason mutants have such a bad name." 

"Yes, yes. I know. I tease poor, defenseless, _slow_ humans. People like me are a menace to society!" she said in a mock gasp. "What, do you want me to stop? Say the word and I'll quit." 

"Nah, 'cause then hell would freeze over, pigs would fly, and California would drop off into the ocean, and I just can't let that happen." 

"Ah, I see. You're our superhero, aren'tcha?" 

"Yeah, and like all heroes, you won't appreciate me 'til I'm gone." 

"Oh, I appreciate you now!" 

"Really?" 

"Yeah! You give me rides to the mall, you buy me Snapple, you threw sand at me at the beach ... okay, that's not one of your finer points, but you're good at other things, too!" 

"Oh, yeah, _thanks_! I love you, too!" 

"Oh, I know you do. _Everyone_ does. Except those damn S.O.B.'s in the government. Take this exit." 

"Tonya, the government doesn't hate you," Devon said, turning right. He turned around and smiled at her. "How could they?" 

"They hate _all_ mutants," Tonya said, a frown dampening her features. Her dark complexion was shadowed with thought. 

"No, not so much anymore. Things are getting better." 

"They're takin' their sweet time doing it," she pouted. "The sentinels have gotten smaller, but they're still around." 

"Things could be a hell of a lot worse." 

"They could be so much more better!" She stared out the window, crossing her arms. "At least, in the past," she said wistfully, "we had the X-Men." 

Devon sighed in irritation, his shoulders slumping. "Not this again, Tonya." 

"Well, it's true!" she said, her head jerking around. She returned her view to the speeding window, passing by like a bird. "They were my _idols_." Her voice turned softer. "These new jerks can't compete with them." 

"Tonya, they're gone now. But you still have WolfMan." 

"Wolverine." 

"Same diff." 

"Quit it, Dev. You know how important this is to me." She stared at the back of his seat. 

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry." He turned back around and smiled at her. "You know I suck at history. And besides," his smile turned to a smirk. "I thought _I_ was your superhero." 

"Yeah, you are," she smiled. "You're my Renegade." 

"Is that the guy with the claws?" Devon made a face and Tonya sighed. 

"_No_, that would be Wolverine. _Again_, Braniac. Renegade is the one with the red eyes and white streak -" 

"Oh, yeah. I remember." The car parked and Devon went to her side to open it for her, but found she had already climbed out. "Who would I be?" she asked with a teasing grin. 

"Hmmm... is there a bitch in the group?" 

"She laughed and slapped him on the arm. 

"Ow!" he laughed back. 

"No. No bitches. Well ... No. Guess I'm on my own!" 

"What about a comedian?" 

"I don't know. But what I've seen from the news, that would be Ice Queen." 

"Oh, yeah. _Ice Queen_. You look almost like the anti-her, though." 

"What's with the smile?" Tonya snapped. "I though you didn't know squat about the X-Men!" 

"Yeah, _still_ who could forget _Ice Queen_?" 

"_You_ sure know how to make a girl feel special," she said sarcastically, reaching back to make sure her wings were staying flat against her back. 

"You're twice as pretty." 

"Awww ... how diplomatic of you!" She gave him a light hug and kept walking. 

"Only 'cuz you're a mutant menace, Tonnie." 

"Damn _straight_! Oh! Over here. You're buying me coffee." 

"What?! Didn't you bring your _own_ money?" 

"Yeah, some." She looked up at him and sighed irritably. "Fiiiine. I'll just go coffee-less. But you'll regret it!" 

"All talk. Besides, I'd have to be nuts to give you caffeine. You'd be doing laps around the mall." 

"Grrr." 

"Do you mind if we check out Towers really quickly? I wanna get some new CDs." 

"Sure. I'll be at the GAP." 

"Not comin' with?" 

"Nah. I wanna get a cute top. What do I look better in: white, or blue?" 

"Oh, I don't know. Don't ask _me_ that! Catch up with ya later!" 

"Yeah, see ya." 

The two went their separate ways, Devon into Tower Records, Tonya towards GAP. Tonya stepped through the different clothes racks, her light blue sweater falling over her hands as she leafed through the open-backed shirts. She had meant for her sweater to be too baggy.She hooked the clothes hangers over her wrists and grabbed a pair of silver pants on her way to the dressing rooms. 

She stared at her face for a moment in the mirror and pursed her lips thoughtfully. Finally, she slipped off her sweater and watched as her wings expanded. There was one shiny talon on the top of each leathery, coarse wing. They spread out in different directions. She flapped them once and there was a rush of air as her hair fluttered a bit. She turned to the light blue shirt and pulled it on. The open back allowed her wings to be free. The blue one fit perfect and took the focus from her wings less than did the white one. She held the white one to her chest. It contradicted her dark skin, hair, and eyes. Her bat-like wings were left in the background because of the shirt. But no matter what, the focus always seemed to drift back to her uncommon, demonic wings. 

She pressed the shirt closer and cocked her head to the side and smiled wickedly. "Perfect," she said smiling. "_Twisted_." 

Putting the shirt aside and redressing, she checked the pricetag. "$45.50?!" She looked over at the pants. "See ya later!" she said, tossing them over to the blue top. She patted her back, trying to flatten the lump wings. Leaving the clothes she didn't want hanging on a peg in her dressing stall, Tonya tossed the top over her arm like a towel and began to take out her brown leather wallet as she left. 

Nearly half way to the counter she felt a hard, heavy hand clap her on the shoulder. Instinct told her to be afraid, but she second guessed herse;f and smiled. "Devon ... " she said, turning around. Instead, she saw a large security gaurd. 

"Ma'am, I'd like you to please exit the store, please," he said with a glance at her back. 

"What? What did I do?" Tonya began to get defensive. "I didn't do anything!" 

"Please, ma'am, just come with me." 

"No!" She jerked her arm away and backed up a little. 

"Let's go." 

"Tonya looked at the confused faces staring at the two. They were making a scene. "Just tell me what I did," she said in a softer tone of voice, "and I'll leave." 

"We have the rights to refuse service to anyone." 

Tonya looked around for support but found only strangers. Devon was gone somewhere in the mall. The only familiar face she saw was her own, staring back at her in a mirror by a clothesrack. What caught her attention next, though, was her back. On her back was a large bump and one talon poking through the light blue knitting. Her wings were starting to show through. "Oh-no," she muttered in a voice that was inaudible to even herself. She turned back to the security gaurd towering over her with her mouth open as if wanting to say something. Her dear, shock, and embarassment soon turned to anger. "You can't kick me out because of - because of - becuase of _that_!" 

"We have the right to refuse service to anyone," the security gaurd repeated. 

Once again, for the third time, Tonya looked around from face to face for help. 

The blonde girl with chilling blue eyes. 

Her friend with dark hair and slanted blue eyes. 

A blonde man standing next to the blonde girl. 

Another by the dark haired girl. He had pale streaks in the front that seemed slightly familiar, but she couldn't remember. She was too angry. 

No help in any of them. 

"Fine!" Tonya screamed. "Fine! Fuck you! _Fuck you all_!" She threw the clothes at his chest and stormed for the door, pushing a clothes rack at another mirror, cracking it and sening the clothes to the ground. 

"Hey!" 

She recognized someone coming towards her through the mall at a fast pace, yellow and red plastic Towers bag in hand. "What's goin' on? What are you doing?" he yelled, referring to her little tantrum. "What's with the hissy fit?" 

"I swear, Devon," she seethed, fists balled at sides and her vision starting to clear a little, "if it weren't for you ... " her sentence trailed off. 

"If it weren't for me, what?" 

"I'd kill the whole damn species." 

Devon's normally light cheeks flushed a little at that. 

"Sorry, but ... you asked!" She sighed. "Would you mind helping me with my ... uhm ... you know." 

Devon raised an eyebrow. 

"_Wings_." 

"Oh. Oh! Okay." He helped her striaghten them as the four people in the store came out. 

"Hey! You okay?" the blonde woman asked. A cold chill suddenly filled the air. 

"Mindjer own business!" Tonya screeched angrily. 

"Geez, what's _your_ problem?" 

"Just back off, okay? I'm _fine_!" She turned her back to them. "Guess what, Devon?" she said in a hard voice. "I guess this place is just as bad as when they _were_ around. New, old, it doesn't matter. THEY DID _NOTHING_!" 

Devon wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her away. "You wanna go now?" he asked softly. 

"No," she sniffed. "I'm not gonna let that bastard in the GAP ruin my day." 

"Before, was she talking about ... " Tonya heard the man with the blonde hair say. 

She turned around and saw the blonde girl nodding gravely. "Maybe she's right," she murmured. 

The one with the black hair and blue eyes clenched her fists at her sides. "After all that's happened ... " she growled. 

The blonde put her hand on her shoulder. "C'mon, Logan. Let's go." 

Tonya turned around and left with Devon as the other group left as well. 

"You know they did some, Tonnie," Devon said, trying to boost her faith. "At least you weren't attacked or the FoH didn't come. There were no sentinels ... " 

"Uhh, Devon?" Tonya said. 

"What?" 

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." 

"What - oh-no. Tonya, get outta here." 

They both stared at the three six-foot tall sentinels who had lighted down in the mall. And more were coming. "Devon, I'll lead them off track and you run. Get to the car, I'll fly away." 

"No, they won't get me," he said stubbornly, holding his ground. 

"JUST GO!" 

The sentinels all turned their gaze towards the two. "Mutant: Tonya Roberts. Target, acquired. Mission, destroy." The one that spoke raised its hand to shoot a laser at her. 

Devon turned his eyes from the sentinel to his friend. "Tonya! Down!" He jumped in front, knocking her to the ground, her wings bursting through the sweater. She pushed him off of her and watched the laser fly into the GAP. 

"Not a good day for the GAP," she said sarcastically. 

"We gotta go," he said, pulling her to her feet. 

They bother turned to escape the machines as they ran around the corner ... and straight into a group of familiar looking people. "Not you all again," Tonya said. 

"Watch it! Oh shit ... " 

Tonya turned around. The sentinel's arms was raised again. "Mission, destroy." 

She jumped out of the way, then, remembering her wings, flew into the air and kicked the sintinel in the face, sending it stumbling back a little. She reached out her hand and sent to the sentinel smashing into a wall with a burst of telekinetic energy. Looking around, she realized that the others were gone. "Wussies." 

A shock to her back sent her crashing forward. At first she didn't feel anything, then the fire of pain started. "Aargh!" she cried out. 

"Wanna make this a fair fight?!" yelled a voice she had heard once before, yet faint, behind her. 

Tonya turned around in surprise, lifting herself up. Her heart nearly stopped in her chest when she saw Wildcat behind her with Renegade, Ice Queen, and Sparks. Charger soon came up behind them. 

Tonya didn't know whether to thank God or to drop dead on the spot. She chose the first. 

Tonya caught Devon staring at her with his eyebrows raised to his hairline. She nodded quickly and his eyes widened. 

A few more sentinels rounded the corner. "Hey! Looks like we got company!" Tonya warned to the next generation of superheroes. 

Ice Queen turned her head. "On it!" she yelled, shooting a stream of ice at one, encasing it. 

"Good shot." 

"Yeah, well, I try." 

"Tonya!" 

Tonya turned around, frozen in shock, losing all instinct. There was a pop, a *dzzzt*, and a few sparks shot up from the sentinel's neck. It rocked slightly, then fell. Tonya stepped nimbly up out of the way and saw Wildcat crouched on its back with all six claws jammed into its neck. 

"Target, acquired," another sentinel boomed. "Mutant, Adan-" 

"Oh, no you don't!" Renegade reached out a hand and crumpled the sentinel into a pile of plastic, metal, and sparks with his magnetic energy. 

As Tonya watched, she felt a hand grasp her wrist. She whirled around in fear, arm muscles taut and fists clenched and drawn back, ready for a punch. But her fist stopped and fell to her sides once she saw who it was. "Devon!" 

"We gotta get outta here." 

"Can't. They're after me. If I split up from the New X-Men then they'll be able to kill me easier." 

"Well, I'm not lettin' you die here!" His eyes darted to something behind her and he pulled her down just before a laser crashed above them. 

Tonya stared blankly at him for a moment, then said, "This doesn't sound like the superhero I know." 

"Shut-up, Tonya! This isn't funny! We gotta get outta here before one of us gets hurt!" he hissed angrily. 

Tonya looked hurt for a second, but the gathered herself. "_You_ leave then. I'm not some pansy - Aaah!" A shot seared through the back of her head. 

"Tonya!" He looked at the sentinels, contemplating whether to fight them or not. He knew they'd most likely kill him in an instant. Then he looked at Tonya. She had just been hit and would probably be very weak. He took this oppurtunity to get her out of the line of fire and carried her into a nearby store. "Move it!" he yelled to the cashiers at the register. "You heard me! Move your ass! That's why God gave you one!" 

The two cashiers backed away from the register. "Don't shoot!" 

Degon glared at them in annoyed shock. "Does this look like a fuckin' gun to you?!" He shoved them aside and laid Tonya under the register. 

"Geez, never seen you so pissed," she smiled, then winced as she put her hand to the back of her head. "Ooooohw," she groaned, "I can't feel my basal ganglia." 

Devon laughed. "Dude, that means your _dead_." 

"Oh," she grinned. "Bummer." 

"Just stay here, okay?" 

"Tonya closed her eyes and rested her head against the side of the desk. "G'night," she murmured. 

"Oh, God, don't die." 

"Nah, 'm okay," she insisted, still not opening her eyes. She heard Devon begin shouting. 

"Hey! You! Get over here!" His voice returned to normal as footstep approached. "See her? I want you to take her pulse every once in a while ... The neck, dammit! Christ! Right _here_! Oh, never nind. Someone else! Okay, you. Take her pulse at the neck every once in a while and don't let her move. I'll be right back." She heard Devon stand up and leave. 

Three seconds later, she felt a cold, clammy hand reach under her chin to take a pulse, then she heard a woman scream as she snatched her wrist and jerked her down. Her green eyes popped open. "Go," she hissed and then threw the wrist away from her. 

The woman stumbled back as Tonya arose. "No! You're not supposed to leave!" she finally choked out. 

"Oh, boo-hoo," Tonya mocked and flew out the door ... and straight into combat. She looked down and saw that five sentinels had been taken down. She smiled as she saw that Devon had damaged on of them by knocking its head nearly off with a metal bar. "Go, Dev," she muttered happily to herself. There was a small click and Tonya turned around. "Aah! You _prick_!" she yelled as she saw a sentinel behind her. She ducked as a shot flew over her head and into the wall of a mall store. "DEVON!" 

Devon jerked his head up. "_Tonya_?!" 

Tonya dove down to knock her friend away from the falling rubble. She felt like screaming but her mouth wouldn't work. Her eyes were wide and fearful. "Oh, God no," she found herself whispering hoarsely. 

Devon leapt out of the way from the stones but that only put him in the crossfire for more avalanches. As he looked up again at the falling walls, one tumbled down, crushing his leg and shattering the bone. 

For some reason or another, Tonya's ears stopped working. All she could hear was her own shouting mind and her prayers to God. She lit down next to Devon. "Devon? Are you okay?" But she could see him fighting back tears. 

"Just fine," he grunted. 

"Oh God. Okay. Uhm, I'll just get this off your leg ... " Tonya began to telekinetically raise the rock from his leg, but she was already trying to fight the other stones from toppling down on top of them. "Okay. Do you think you can get out without my help?" 

Devon tried to get up, but the stone prevented him from doing so. "No. I'll be okay." 

"Someone!" But the shout took some of the focus from the task at hand and was such a strain to be heard over the battle that some of the rocks began to drop again and create a rumble that drowned her out almost immediately. 

"Hmph," Devon smiled. "Still your superhero?" he said with a half-smile. 

Tonya nodded weakly and quickly. Her eyes began to sting and she wiped some tears away with the palm of her hand. "Yes," she said soflty. 

"Oh, don't look so sad. You have no idea how heart breaking that is." Devon looked down at his leg and winced. "Hey. I'm gonna go out on a limb here ... Uhm, after we get outta here, and I get to a doctor or something, do you think you'd wanna go somewhere with me? Like ... not friends?" 

Tonya smiled as she was caught off gaurd and had to catch the rocks again before they crushed the both of them. "Are you asking me out, Devon?" she asked wryly. 

"Trust me, i had a much more interesting, creative, and romantic - hell, _way_ more romantic - way of asking you." 

"Well, two outta three ain't bad." 

"You're avoiding the question." 

Tonya nodded and smiled again. "Yeah. That sounds great." 

Devon smiled back. "Okay, now do you wanna try getting this thing off my leg one more time?" 

The rock managed to slide a little bit to the side a few inches, and then to the other side. 

"Okay. Okay! OW! Cancel that." A painful look crossed his face, as if something other than the rock were coming hurting him, but he struggled to hide it. Tonya had already caught it, though. "Let's go to Plan B," he said. 

"And what's that?" 

"You leave and go get help." 

"And what about those?" she said. Tonya pointed to the rocks she was still struggling to hold back from them both. 

"No, see, there's a pile at the bottom. If the pile doesn't stop them, then they'll at least make them roll off to another direction, trust me." But he still looked uncertain and the pain in his eyes turned to self-loathing. 

Tonya paused. "Are you sure?" 

"Positive." 

"I still don't want to leave." But she had already begun to stand up. 

"Trust me on this one, okay?" 

"I don't like this." 

"Hey!" Devon forced a laugh. "Look at me!" He gestured to his leg with both hands. "Do you think _I'm_ having a good time here?! It's _my_ leg!" 

"I could ... I could maybe slide you out?" 

Devon paused, looking slightly more hopeful, but still overwhelmingly doubtful. "Okay. Try it," he finally said. 

Tonya bit her lip and struggled to pull him out, trying to lift the rock at the same time trying to pull him out physically so she could concentrate more on telekinetically keeping the rocks back. But the strain on her mind and muscles was too much and she had to stop. "I'm sorry. I can't," she said sadly. 

All hope fluttered from Devon's eyes. "Go get help." 

Tonya just stood there dumbly. 

"Ooohhhh ... I'm sorry for doing this. Please forgive me, but ... " Devon brought back his arm and crack Tonya just below the knees, sending her falling back. 

Tonya hit the ground and was caught off gaurd. For a moment, she lost control of the stones and they began to fall. She tried in vain to catch them, but the more they fell the more she panicked. A moment of weakness was all they needed. The pile at the bottom _didn't_ divert the falling rocks from their intended path; instead, it toppled over, creating more of a danger. Soon there was a pool of blood forming under a pile of rubble. 

Tonya watched in horror as the sickly smell of mortality invaded her senses. "Oh God no. NO!" she screamed. She fell to her knees in terror. She felt as if she were asleep as she heard the last sentinel fall behind her. Minutes later she heard footsteps behind her. She whirled around, seeing Wildcat. Her anger began to flare. They were all relatively unharmed. "YOU!" she screamed at Wildcat. 

Wildcat looked a little startled and frowned in confusion. 

"_You_ did this!" 

"What are you talking about?! We all just tried to save you both!" 

"You weren't good enough, were you?" she growled dangerously and began to stand up on two shaky legs. Her knees trembled and threatened to make her collapse. 

"We tried our best," Sparks said. 

"You're '_best_' wasn't good enough!" 

"Hey!" Wildcat yelled. "Everything was going fine until _you_ showed up! We had it under control!"   
Tonya, for once, had nothing to say. She merely stared at Wildcat and wondered how she could defend hersef. She knew she wasn't at fault for Devon's death ... was she? She suddenly felt sick inside, like a small iceball was forming in her stomach. She felt as if she was about to vomit. Self-realization set in: she was arguing with one of the only people that ever tried to help their "kind" with her best friend's crush and broken body in the background. And she was worried about winning an argument. "Oh, dear God," she whimpered. Her lips began to quiver in grief and tears began to form in her eyes. 

Wildcat's face softened a little at Tonya's pitiful expression and didn't know what to say as Tonya sunk to her knees and began to emit muffled, racked sobs as she covered her face with her hands. "I'm sorry," she said. "You were only doing what you thought was right." But instinct told her that that wasn't why the girl was crying. 

Above Tonya were gaping holes in the ceiling from the previous battle; in front of her was a group of people who wanted nothing more than to make the world a better place; to the right, people stared at her as she cried; to the left were piles of rubble; below her, her tears splashed to the ground; and behind her lay the bones of the only true friend she had ever known. 

_You don't know how you met me_   
_You don't know why, you can't turn around and say good-bye_   
_All you know is when I'm with you I make you free_   
_And swim through your veins like a fish in the sea___

_Follow me_   
_Everything is alright_   
_I'll be the one to tuck you in at night_   
_And if you want to leave_   
_I can gaurantee_   
_You won't find nobody else like me_

Tonya walks through the rain in a daze. Wet grass clings to her shoes as she makes her way to the only monument visible to her. It sticks out of the ground in a jagged, upright position. Pushing a lock of deep brown hair behind her ear and wiping her eyes as they start to sting, she gently lays a bouquet of roses and white blossoms on the earth at the foot of the monument. 

"Where do I begin ... " she murmured softly, slowly. "It's been ... seventeen years now. I'm ... I'm married. The kids are great." She smiles weakly. "Care to take a guess at what we named our oldest?" His name is ... well, _yours_. He's two now." 

She looks back at the car, then back towards the grave and laughs miserably to herself as she sniffs. She kneels on the wet grass and looks at the flowers she has laid before the stone, almost afraid to see the name etched in the rock above her. "And here I am, talking to someone who may or may not be listening. Or even _there_ for that matter." She frowns at the flowers and then, looking up, she says, "You know, you brought this on yourself. I could have helped you." 

The name on the stone stares blankly back at her. 

"I coulda helped you! When you ... were gone - " she can't bring herself to say "dead" - "I blamed those new guys. I mean ... not totally new. They had been on the job for about six years whe they came, and tried to help us. I blamed _them_ ... 'cause I knew it was my fault. At least ... I did _then_. I'm not so sure now. Maybe it was _no one's_. But if it was no one's then you would be alive right now, right? You pushed me out of the way. You _didn't_ want me to go get help. Because you knew I wouldn't be able to hold those rocks off forever. And you also knew that once I did let go ('cause I would have to let go sooner or later) the rocks would get us both." She frowns again. "But what I can't understand is _how_ how you did it." Tonya breaks into laughter. "If it was me, if the roles were reversed, I woulda grabbed onto your leg and never let go! I woulda chewed my leg off, squirmed out, done _something other than die_. I guess that's what makes you a better person than me," she says morosely. "But you were a better influence on me than you think. 

"Look at me!" she throws her arms up then let's them drop to her sides. "I'm 34 years old! And I'm talking to you like I'm seventeen again. I guess some things just never change. I'm 34. I never expected to live this long. I never thought _I_ would be the Minivan Mom with road rage. I thought I'd be killed by sentinels by now. But I guess that's not gonna happen now because, after you died, people around here started working twice as hard to get them shutdown.The last one was shut off last week." 

She lowers her head sadly. "Talk about too little too late, huh?" se murmurs softly. She looks up again. "I always gave you credit for that. In fact, if you go up to the mall - _you_ know the one. The one where you ... uh ... yeah. There's this small memorial. It's one of those posts with the signs and has things engraved on it. The kind that no one ever reads. Well, yesterday I took my son to the small and there was this little girl, about seven, reading it. She turned to her mother and asked, 'Who's Devon?' Her mother said, 'What?' And the little girl said, 'Devon. Devon McCaffrey?' And do you know what she said? She said, 'He was someone I went to school with ... a long, long time ago. He was a year younger than me. Ask your father about him. He knew him better than I did.' 'Did he die?' 'Yeah. By a sentinel.' And get this, this is beautiful - this little girl with pastel green skin, yellow eyes, and pointed ears, said, 'What's a sentinel?' 

Tonya smiles softly to herself. "_You_ did that." She sighs. " ... I miss you," she says softly. "There are still times when I wonder what things _could_ have been like, if you had just asked me out sooner." She stands up and looks down at the inscription on the tombstone. It is inscribed with something he had said a long time ago that everyone but Tonya has forgotten: "Like all heroes, you won't appreciate me 'til I'm gone." - Devon McCaffrey. Below his quote reads, "Missed, but never gone." 

"I love you," she whipsers inaudibly, sad that she waited this long to say it. 

She feels an arm wrap itself around her and she looks up at her husband of three years. "Come one, let's go," he says, sadly looking at the tombstone. He misses his brother as well. 

It has stopped raining as they walk towards their car. A playful, lonely wind skipps over the sharp, yet soft, stinging grass. It floats over the flowers, playing with the petals and wraps itself around the tombstone. The wind flies towards Tonya and lifts her hair off the nape of her neck and whispers in her ear. The wind returns to the flowers and hovers there a moment before leaving. 

Maybe things are taking a while to change, and maybe things like this take time, but they are getting better. Things _are_ changing. 

_Follow me_   
_Everything is alright_   
_I'll be the one to tuck you in at night_   
_And if you want to leave_   
_I can gaurantee_   
_You won't find nobody else like me_

-END. 


End file.
